Six hundred years ago, Venetians protected themselves from land-based attacks by diverting all the major rivers flowing into the lagoon and thus preventing sediment from filling the area around the city.
Culverts, silt fences, break dams, and ditches control surface water runoff, and prevent sediment from escaping the site.
A bill has been introduced in the Legislature to prevent toxic PCB-laden sediment dredged from the Hudson River from being sent to Niagara County.
Groynes cause sediment to build up on one side but have the unhelpful consequence of preventing sediment to accumulate on the other side.
Eventually the spit will not be able to grow any further because it is no longer sufficiently sheltered from erosion by waves, or because the estuary current prevents sediment resting.
Forests, prairies and savannas, for instance, prevent much sediment and other water pollution from reaching rivers and streams.
Various rows of setae on the legs and gills are used to prevent sediment from reaching the gills and for expelling any which does reach them.
The harbour has prevented sediment being transported from the south meaning that no coarse sediment is able to nourish the Washdyke beach/barrier.
As with other large dam projects, the Myitsone Dam construction would have altered the hydrological characteristics of the river and prevent sediment from enriching the traditionally highly productive agricultural floodplains downstream.
Newmont, he said, spent $100 million to fix the environmental problems, including $50 million for a water-treatment plant and $20 million on two dams to prevent sediment from clogging streams and canals.